NEW BLOOMFIELD – While the rest of the world might look at Audie the Giraffe and see a cute stuffed animal tattered from years of snuggles, 8-year-old Ezra Bertram sees Audie as much more. “Ezra was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old,” said his mother, Christa Bertram, member of Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City and co-author of Audie Embraces Different, a children’s book about what it means to embrace autism as part of God’s design. “When Ezra was around kindergarten … [Read more...]
‘Finding Freedom’: Ministry to trafficking victims inspires novel by Pathway freelancer
KANSAS CITY – Pathway freelancer Britney Lyn Hamm captures hope through trauma in a novel inspired by her work with a Missouri Baptist ministry to victims of human trafficking. “It’s a story of God’s redemption and freedom and not for the faint of heart,” said Hamm, author of the Christian romance/suspense novel Finding Freedom. “It deals with raw human experiences like depression, human trafficking, and other real life trauma. I wrote about them not to glorify them or make light of them, … [Read more...]
Risen Ranch’s rodeo camp rides on
CARTHAGE – Little hands stretched high in the air and uninhibited voices sang out like a heavenly choir. Steve Stafford, senior pastor at Risen Ranch Cowboy Church here, couldn’t stop the flow of tears if he tried. “I am so glad we had camp and we experienced the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit so thick around us,” he said. “There were about 80 kids and 30 or 40 adults praising God together with their whole hearts. If being part of something like that doesn’t move you or change your … [Read more...]
COVID-19 shifts, doesn’t stop Navajo Nation mission
OZARK – With the Navajo Nation on strict lockdown due to an extremely high per-capita coronavirus infection rate and resulting cases, Scott Watson, lead pastor of River Bluff Fellowship here, knew the decision to modify their annual mission trip to Kayenta, Ariz., was the right one. “We’ve been going there for 13 years and bringing 30 to 50 people each time we go and we love it, but we decided to change our plans for two reasons: first, we did not want to go there and increase their … [Read more...]
Cooperative mask ministry covers Steelville
STEELVILLE – The masks they had on hand that day were made specifically for members of their church. Hand-delivering them had allowed Lois and Don Wissman, pastor at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church here, to check in on their mostly senior adult congregation since the COVID-19 social distancing regulations went into effect. But when they arrived at one church member’s housing complex, they were stopped by a small group of people who asked if they could have a mask as well. “That day I only … [Read more...]
FBC Warsaw votes unanimously for revitalization
WARSAW – Though he’d only been filling in at the pulpit for less than a month, First Baptist Church, Warsaw (FBCW) unanimously voted to call Pastor Tom Renfro to be their interim while they continued their pastor search. “It’s amazing how fast my wife, Cindy, and I built a rapport and were able to connect to them,” said Renfro, who has served bi-vocationally for years and recently retired early from his position as a college professor. “They offered me the interim position and I said I was … [Read more...]
Rural Rock Springs reaps growth after years of prayer
LICKING – As the Lord spoke to him and the weight of conviction mounted on his heart, John Jordan white-knuckled the pew in front of him and fervently prayed. On that day—August 29, 1999, Jordan prayed for deliverance and he submitted his life to Christ… but he didn’t stop there. “I remember it so clearly,” he said. “I walked up the aisle and I was with the pastor and he said, ‘Do you want to pray?’ And I said yes. I knew what was missing because I had grown up in and out of church. I … [Read more...]
FBC Blue Springs brings hope to Nicaragua
MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Attaching the front door is Lee Sisney’s favorite part of the home building project. “It’s the last step and there’s something so satisfying in seeing a project completed,” said Sisney, worship pastor at First Baptist Church Blue Springs (FBCBS). “I guess it’s because once the front door gets put on, the home is secure. Once the front door’s on, it’s ready for a family to move in.” Sisney was able to help attach front doors on ten houses last July, when he along with … [Read more...]
‘Feed My Sheep’ event benefits St. Francois County food pantries
DESLOGE – Baked with love by each church’s pastor, the table of decorated cakes looked good enough to eat. Everyone gathered around the auction block to see how much his or her pastor’s cake would go for this year. Jack and Elizabeth Poston, long-time members of First Baptist Church (FBC) here and the founders of the Feed My Sheep fundraiser event, heard that congregations from two local Methodist churches held a separate event in order to raise extra money to bid on their beloved pastor’s … [Read more...]
Churches cooperate to bring free camp to teens
HOUSTON – At 14-years-old, the young girl had seen things that no child should ever have to see. “When she came to camp we knew she had went through so much and she was just distraught, her eyes were almost dead inside,” said Delta Hernandez, a youth leader at Boone Creek Baptist Church in Licking and one of the founders of G1, a free youth summer camp held at Simmons Baptist Camp here. “We prayed for her and watched while God got a hold of her at camp. She started coming to youth group … [Read more...]
Hilldale Baptist Church honors veterans, hosts PTSD benefit
NEOSHO – Approximately 22 veterans commit suicide each day—according to a 2012 report put out by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the personal demons servicemen and women face are real and devastating. “These brave men and women see things no one wants to see,” said Luke Renfro, member of Hilldale Baptist Church here. “The darkness is so overwhelming that these guys can’t see daylight; their eyes can’t see value in anything because of what’s haunting … [Read more...]
Mission in Mexico: Canaan Baptist trains leaders to ‘be the Church’
ATECINGO, Mexico — The lack of true discipleship at Primera Iglesia Bautista had been heavy on Pastor Alejandro’s heart for a while. “He told us they were a congregation that has tried one event after another, hoping something would happen,” said Mike Self, pastor of discipleship and church administration at Canaan Baptist Church in St. Louis. “By the end of the third day of the conference, Pastor Alejandro explained to his members that he saw this as a holistic approach to how the church … [Read more...]
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